Improvement in railroad-rail chairs



i R- GfLUDLUW.

Railroad Rail Chair.

N0, l65,84'5, Patentedluly20,1875.

. WITNESSES v I I NT ATTORNEYS RICHARD O. LUDLOW, ()F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-RAIL CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 165,845, dated July 20, 1875; application filed June 26, 1675.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD 0. humour, of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Railroad-Ohairs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a longitudinal vertical section ofniy railroad-chair. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a front view.

This invention has relation to means for keeping the ends of rails for street-railroads evenand in line; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of the rounded and under-cut bed-plate, the loose jaw, and the key, all as hereinafter shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, A designates the bed-plate, which in its general form is similar to those now in use. This bed-plate is recessed at abelow the rail bearing-surface, and the floor of this recess is inclined so that the tongue of the movable jaw will rise somewhat against the under side of the rail when driven into said recess. The edge of the floor of said recess is under cut, as indicated at b. B represents one of the ends of two rails, which are to be secured together. These ends meet over the recess a. 0 indicates the fixed flange or jaw of the bed-plate, which extends upward'i'rom the back of said plate, and is somewhat concave on its inner side to embrace the side of the rail and hold it down to the bed-plate. Opposite the flange O, on

the other side of the bed-plate, extend out ward the hooks d, the inside or bearin g faces of which are preferably made slightly inclined. 0 represents the movable jaw. This consists of a tongue, 6, preferably wedge-shaped, a rising hook-flange, g, at the edge, and a depressed catch-flange, It, also at the edge. Said flanges and the root of the tongue form the body of the jaw, the back of which is plain and serves as a head, whereby the tongue of the jaw may be forced into the recess under the bases of the rails until the hook g engages with the edges of said rail-bases, and the catchflange or lip It extends under, and is in contact with the under cut portion 1) of the edge of the recess floor. D represents a wedge or key, which is driven between the hooks d and the body of the movable jaw C forcing the same into position, and securing all the parts in their respective relations, whereby the rail ends will be kept even and in line.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The bed-plate having the flange (J, recess a, under cut I), and hooks or wedge seats d, substantially as specified.

2. The lever-jaw 0 having the tongue 6, hook-flange g, and catchflange h, substantially 3. The combination with the flanged and recessed bed-plate of the lower jaw 0, having the tongue 6 and the key D, substantially as specified.

In testimony that 1 claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD (J. LUDLOW.

Witnesses:

B. J. TUNSTALL, JOHN S. OAVENDER. 

